What IS good, and how do we determine it?

[Simon Moon]

I have already responded to this classic "geography" objection. But it deserves to be re-posted, and I'll juice the formatting so it looks nicer.

Religious Beliefs are a Product of Geography

The idea that “religion is just a product of geography” sounds like a great argument for atheism. Initially.

However, just because someone is born in a place where they fail to discover the right answer about life’s important questions does not mean there is not right answer. This goes for any kind of truth claim. For example:

• If you were born in the year 1715 instead of 2015, you would probably have supported the enslavement of native Africans.
• If you were born in 2015 BC, you probably would have denied that the Earth revolves around the Sun.
• If you were born in modern North Korea, you probably would believe that democracy is evil.

But none of these facts proves that slavery is moral, that the sun revolves around the Earth or that dictators are a great idea. All they prove is that large numbers of people can be wrong.

For all of our political, scientific and ethical beliefs, we would say that even if other people disagree with them, and do not live in places that teach these beliefs as truths, that does not mean these beliefs are false. We can put forward rational arguments to defend these beliefs and then say that those other cultures who disagree are simply mistaken.

If we can do this for disputed ethical, scientific and political beliefs, then why not say we can put forward rational arguments for religious beliefs that are not universally believed but nonetheless true?

You responded to a different point than I was making.

I didn't mean to imply that you would be right or wrong based on your geography, only that your beliefs would be different.

And from your hypothetical Muslim self's point of view, you would believe yourself to be just as correct as you believe yourself are now.

And all the same types of apologetcis, personal experiences, flawed logical arguments (Muslims invented Kalam, by the way), references to ancient texts that you are convinced by now, you would be convinced by as a Muslim.

And from the point of view of complete outsiders (aliens for example), all religions would look equally like mythology, with insufficient evidence to support any of them.